Redemption
by callofthebanshee
Summary: Starting with Damon going into the tomb to find Katherine and veering off into my own path of love and redemption. Contains Damon/Katherine, Elena/Stefan but endgame is Damon/Elena, Katherine/Stefan. Rated M to be safe. /On Hiatus/
1. Frustration

_A/N: Okay, so. This is my first story on here that isn't a oneshot. And it's definitely different from the show. For example:_  
><em>- No Klaus<em>  
><em>- No originals<em>  
><em>- No curse<br>- Possibly no tomb vampires. I haven't decided for sure.  
><em>_I'm starting with the scene when Damon goes into the tomb to find Katherine only to discover she isn't there and veering off into my own little path of what I would have loved to see on my television screen.  
><em>_I'm starting at this point because I want to show Damon falling for Elena, too, not Elena slowly reciprocating his feelings.  
>Hope you enjoy.<br>__Oh, and I alternate between point of views. Probably not as often as I do in this chapter, though._

_If you're the type to like something to listen to to go along with reading, go for Addicted by Simple Plan._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I wish I did, though. Then I could have Damon all to myself :D_

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><p><strong>Elena<strong>

"We can't leave him in there. We promised him, both of us," I said breathlessly, shocked and anxious.

"I know," Stefan said quietly. I felt a tinge of disappointment at his seemingly slight regard for his brother's safety.

"Even if we're able to break through the seal, we won't be able to hold it for long," Bonnie's grandmother cautioned. I nodded, knowing that if we were going to get Damon out... we had to be quick. I watched as Stefan slid back into the tomb and Bonnie and her grandmother began their spell-casting.

I watched them, terrified, as I impatiently waited outside the tomb to see Stefan or Damon appear. The fire stared to flare. "I think it's working," I gasped, and then stiffened as Anna slid out of the tomb with her mother.

"I just wanted my mother back... Jeremy's fine. He's outside. We won't touch him." I felt a little tinge of relief as I thought of my little brother, who had no idea what he had ended up getting in the middle of.

"Bonnie, keep going," her grandmother gasped as Bonnie began to look like she was on the verge of collapsing. She turned to look at me. "You'd better hurry!"

"Stefan, they can't hold it much longer," I cried, turning to look at the fire and seeing it dim. Breathing heavily, I turned and dashed into the tomb.

**Damon**

I felt like ripping someone's head off as I kicked at a rock. "Ugh... she's not here," I gasped frantically, turning my head around every angle, relentlessly looking for Katherine- _my_ Katherine- the one I'd spent so many years searching for. "She's not here..."

"What?" Stefan muttered, astonished as he stared at me.

I threw the blood bag in my hand against the wall, severely angry and frustrated. "She's not _here_!"

"Damon, we need to get out of here," Stefan said, keeping his tone calm.

I stared at him, not registering what he was saying. "This doesn't make sense, they locked her inside..."

"If we don't leave now, we're not getting out," Stefan said firmly, raising his voice.

"How could she not be in here," I gasped, still not paying attention to Stefan.

"It's not worth spending all of eternity down here, she's not worth it-" he lectured, grabbing my shoulder.

"_No_!" I cried, throwing it off as I directed my frustrated agony on to him.

"Damon!" a familiar voice cried. I looked toward the sound immediately and saw... Katherine? No. No, that was Elena. Elena...

"Please," she gasped, staring at me with a heartbroken, pleading look. I ground my teeth together as I adjusted my leather jacket, nodding affirmatively and following behind her, barely registering Stefan guiding me out.

**Elena**

I felt relief flood my every vein as I lead the way out of the tomb, avoiding the mummified vampires that were spread out among the hard ground. I could hear Bonnie gasping and faltering in the spell as her grandmother encouraged her. I bit my lip as I tried to go faster, not wanting to cause my best friend any more pain.

We all leapt out of the tomb, the door slamming shut behind us as Stefan embraced me and Damon wandered off ahead of us, seemingly still shocked from not finding my doppelganger.

I suddenly remembered Jeremy, gasping. "Stefan... Jeremy's outside..." He blinked and nodded once, running off ahead of me. I followed behind, praying to God that he would be there and alive.

"He's okay," Stefan gasped as he arrived there just before I did, collapsing on the ground beside him as I did the same. I turned around as I heard a choked sound coming from behind me.

**Damon**

I stood in the clearing, staring at the trees without really seeing. I snapped out of it as I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Elena walking over to me, a sympathetic look on her face. I stared at her, unsure of what she was going to do and _definitely_ not prepared for her to wrap her arms around my neck and lean up to hug me.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. I forced my arms up to hug her back.

"Thank you," I managed as she pulled away, giving her a grateful look. She nodded and took a few steps back towards my brother.

She cleared her throat. "I should probably get Jeremy home..."

"I'll help you," Stefan volunteered. Always the hero.

I nodded and headed home, still out of my mind from the fact that Katherine wasn't there. Where _was_ she? And who could I go to for answers?

I stopped dead in my tracks, knowing exactly who I needed to pay a small visit to.

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><p><em>AN: I'm sorry it's so short D: I swear the chapters will get longer._  
><em>Leave me a review letting me know if you like how it's going? I know I'm just starting to veer off towards the end, but I swear I'm not going to write down scenes from the show this whole time. I despise it when people do that.<br>I also swear I won't switch POVs as much as I did. I find it incredibly confusing when people do that, I just really wanted to show this part from every angle. _


	2. Agony

Thanks to the reviewers and those who put my story on their alerts (: I appreciate it.  
>If you like to listen to music, go for Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day.<p>

Disclaimer: Still only own TVD in my dreams.

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><p><em>In the last chapter of Redemption:<em>

_Damon entered the tomb searching for Katherine only to discover she was not there. Anna got her mother Pearl out of the tomb. Elena and Stefan took home Jeremy, and Damon decided to look for answers about where Katherine was._

**Damon**

"Alright, you bitch, tell me where Katherine is," I snarled at Pearl, having showed up at the door of the place where Anna had been holding Elena. "She wasn't in the tomb and you're her best friend. I want to know why she wasn't _there_."

"Damon," Anna interjected. I turned my glare onto her and she shrunk back slightly at the menacing look in my eyes. "My mother is still weak..."

"Did you know she wasn't there?" I demanded, "you led me to believe she was. Did you know?" I pushed past Pearl so I was inside.

Anna took a step back. "Damon... I needed to get my mother out of the tomb... and in order to do that, I needed your help." She looked into my eyes. "If getting my mother out of there meant playing on your weakness, _I needed to do it_. And I'd say I'm sorry... but I'm not."

I felt a shudder of repressed anger pass through me. I needed to keep my focus to get the answers I needed. "_Where. Is. She_?"

Anna bit her lip. "The last I saw her was in Chicago in 1983. Damon... she knew where you were. And she didn't care."

I felt my anger start to build into agony as I had the feeling that I, Damon Salvatore, had been played for a fool. I squelched the thought. "That's impossible. How did she get out of the church?"

Pearl cleared her throat, cutting into the conversation. "The guard at the church was completely under Katherine's spell... he let her out."

I felt my head start to throb. "So she was out... all this time?" Pearl nodded, and I was unable to stand the pitying look on her face. "Well, then... it was about time someone told me... I just wish it had been sooner." I shot a glare at Anna, knowing it was no use going after her- she was too much older than me, and even being absolutely furious I had enough value for my life to leave her alone.

I walked out of the house into the night, not knowing what the hell to do with myself. I stopped and looked around, considering going after some random human girl. I sighed. For once, Damon Salvatore was not in the mood to kill a random whore off the streets.

I got into my car and finally just drove to the boarding house, thinking about how pitiful I had become.

I grabbed a bottle of bourbon, not bothering with a glass, and began pacing in front of the fireplace to think about Katherine.

Katherine... had she really been out all this time?

I slammed the bourbon down on the table angrily, collapsing on the couch. How could she _do_ this to me? _Why_ would she do this to me? To _us_? We were supposed to be _forever_! A quiet growl escaped my mouth.

"She's not worth getting this upset over, Damon."

My head flew up in shock- I hadn't heard anyone coming, and that was incredibly odd and negligent of me. I sighed as I saw Stefan standing there. I didn't reply, just bent my head back down to look at the fireplace.

"All she did is play with both of our emotions. You don't love her. You love the idea of her," he said gently. "You don't love the fact that she's a manipulative bitch."

I stood and whirled around to face him in one quick movement. "How would you know what I feel," I snarled, needing to release my frustration and torment on someone.

"Because I went through the _same damn thing_ that you did, Damon! Katherine is a liar. It's been almost 150 years! She knew where you were and _she didn't give a shit!_ Isn't that proof enough?"

I dropped back down on the couch. "Just get lost, Stefan," I said wearily. "I'm really not in the mood for this right now."

Stefan sighed. "Whatever you say." I heard his footsteps retreating and then I was alone again.

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><p>Once again, I apologize for how short it is. It was a long day at school and I have a massive headache.<br>I'll post another chapter probably about the same length later tonight (no school tomorrow, yay). I'm going to rest up, take some migraine pills and hopefully get some inspiration from the new episode of TVD after an **entire bloody month** of not seeing any new Delena scenes... and I'm sincerely hoping we get at least one scene with them tonight! /fingers crossed


	3. Trust

A/N: Is anyone else super fucking pissed about tonight's TVD episode? Alaric is my second favorite character (after Damon, obviously) and I don't want him to be psycho.  
>But I'm confused. If he takes the ring off is he normal again or is this like a permanent thing? Can someone clear this up for me? 3:<br>Anyway, listening to Damon make his witty jokes has inspired me enough that I should be able to squeeze a decent chapter out tonight. And there will definitely be some Delena goodness in this one, yippee!  
>If you like listening to music, go for One Of Those Girls by Avril Lavigne.<p>

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or Damon would be tied up in my basement.

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><p><em>In the last chapter of Redemption: <em>  
><em>Damon paid Anna and Pearl a visit asking them about Katherine, where they told him she'd gotten herself out of the church with the help of a lovestruck security guard, and Anna mentioned she'd seen Katherine in Chicago in the 80s. Damon thought about Katherine and why she hadn't contacted him at all, and Stefan unsuccessfully tried to talk some sense into him.<em>

**Elena**

I sighed as I combed through my hair, deliberating on whether to ditch school or not. I really, really didn't feel like attending- what with everything that had been going down lately, I hadn't gotten a whole lot of sleep. I sighed and headed into my bedroom, deciding to drop school and go to bed- and biting back a scream when I saw a person in my room.

"Jesus, Damon! You scared me. What are you doing here?"

Damon turned and around and gave me one of his trademark smirks. "You. Me. Road trip. Let's go." He grabbed my hand, dragging me towards the door.

"Wait, wait, wait. I can't just go on a road trip! Why do you want to go on a road trip, anyway?"

Damon frowned. "Why bother with "why"? It just leads to heart to heart conversations, and as much as I'd love to spill my guts out to you- no, I can't even be sarcastic about that. Come on, let's go!"

I sighed. "If I go with you, will you talk to me?"

Damon made a face. "Do I have to?" I raised my eyebrows at him and nodded. "Fine. Let's go."

I smiled. "Alright. I didn't plan on going to school any way."

* * *

><p>"So," I started when we had been in the car for about ten minutes, "tell me. Why the sudden urge to go roadtripping with your brother's girlfriend?"<p>

Damon frowned, keeping his eyes on the road. "Aw, Elena, I like to think of you as more than just Stefan's girlfriend!"

I looked at him blankly. "Like what? Because last I check, Damon Salvatore doesn't _do_ friends."

Damon smirked. "Oh, I _do_ them, alright." I groaned. I'd totally walked into that one. I made a mental note to watch what I said around him.

"So. Anyway. What's going on? Are you okay? I haven't seen you since... the tomb." I bit my lip, looking at him.

Damon rolled his eyes. "You can say it, Elena. You haven't seen me since I found out the woman I've been trying to save for over a hundred years didn't need saving."

I sighed. "Yeah. That... are you doing okay? You can trust me, you know."

He sighed. "I know I can trust you. You've only informed me of that fact a million times."

I frowned. "Come on, Damon. You told me you'd talk to me about why you wanted to go on this road trip all of a sudden. So 'fess up." _Plus, I'm seriously concerned for you,_ I added mentally.

Damon sighed. "I just want to get away, alright?"

"That doesn't explain why you chose me to get away with."

"Well... you're not the worst company in the world, Elena," he said with a smile, repeating the same line he'd used when we'd gone to Georgia. I couldn't help a small smile appearing on my face.

"You're just lucky I didn't feel like going to school today," I sighed. "And Damon..." I hesitated, not knowing how he would take what I was about to say.

He frowned, glancing over at me. "Yeah...?"

"Katherine didn't deserve you," I said quickly, "so don't beat yourself up over it, okay? Letting you think she was trapped... it was her loss." I reached out and put one of my hands on top of his that was resting on the gear shift. "And if she doesn't realize that, it's her problem."

Damon visibly stiffened for a moment before relaxing. He waited a few moments before replying. "Thank you, Elena," he answered uncertainly.

I smiled at him gently. "What are friends for?"

**Damon**

I wasn't quite sure what to think when she told me that Katherine (even thinking her name makes me want to punch someone out...) didn't deserve me. My first response was to correct her- it was _me_ who didn't deserve _her_. That she'd probably done the right thing by not contacting me.

But then I thought about it... and Elena was right.

I am fucking _awesome_ and it's the bitch's problem if she doesn't realize that. Even when I was human I was awesome, and I'm a million times better now.

So I'm letting Katherine go. I'll do whatever it takes- sleep with a million women if I have to (it'll be a _huge_ sacrifice having sex with all of them, obviously), but I will no longer be Katherine's bitch.

And that's her problem.

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><p>AN: Did I do Damon justice in this chapter? I hope so. I tried to still keep him Damon-esque even when I was trying to make him act more sensitively.  
>Next chapter will be up tomorrow, and I'll be working on it for longer so it should be at least 1500 words. <strong>At least<strong>.  
>I'll be doing some stuff from Stefan's POV next chapter as well. I know, I know, most of you probably hate Stefan, but I don't want to portray him as this evil jackass that a lot of people do in their stories. He's not a bad guy, he's just not right for Elena.<br>Reviews are always appreciated (8


	4. Annoyance

A/N: Thanks to **TheMadKatter13** for attempting to give me some insight into this weirdass ring twist they've thrown into the mix. (:  
>Hopefully this chapter will get some excitement going.<br>If you want to listen to a song while reading, Everytime by Simple Plan is the one for you.

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or Alaric's ring would be working fine T_T

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><p><em>In the last chapter of Redemption:<em>  
><em>Damon showed up in Elena's room informing her that they were going on a road trip. When they're on the road, Elena tells Damon how Katherine doesn't deserve him and Damon realizes she's right. <em>

**Elena**

I sighed as I leaned back in my chair, shutting my eyes. We'd been on the road for about six hours now, and we'd relaxed into a comfortable silence. I let my mind wander, thinking about everything that had happened in the last few days. Finding out Anna was a vampire that was friends with Jeremy, Katherine not being in the tomb, having to go in after Damon and Stefan-

Oh my God, _Stefan_.

"I don't suppose you told Stefan you were dragging me on a road trip," I said, looking up at Damon anxiously. He frowned.

"No, I haven't spoken to him since last night. Why?"

I sighed. "He was expecting to see me at school and probably went to my house when I didn't show up- just to find that I wasn't there. I should call him." I pulled out my phone and quickly dialed Stefan's number, not excited to find out what his reaction to where I was would be.

"Elena? Where are you? Are you okay?" Stefan's nervous voice filtered through the phone. I sighed.

"I'm fine, Stefan. I'm with Damon. I'm sorry that I forgot to call," I apologized.

"Wait... you're with Damon? Why would you be with Damon? _Did he hurt you_?" Stefan's voice grew more animated and angry as he went on. I resisted the urge to groan as I saw Damon's face morph into a smirk.

"_No_, Stefan. He didn't hurt me. He came to my house and asked me _very politely_ to go on a road trip with him. So I am."

"With _him_?"

"Yes, with him."

"Is he making you say this? Just tell me where you are, Elena, I'll be there as soon as I can to pick you up." This time I couldn't stifle the groan.

"Damn it, Stefan, Damon isn't this evil monster you're making him out to be. He's not going to compel me to do anything- I trust him, alright?"

"Whatever, Elena. Can I just talk to Damon?"

I turned to look at Damon. "Do you want to talk to him?" I inquired, still slightly angry at Stefan.

"Nah, I'm good. Tell him I said hi and that your blood tastes awesome. He's missing out!"

"_Shut up_, Damon." I put the phone back up to my ear. "He's driving and doesn't want to talk. Is that all?"

"Fine."

"Goodbye, Stefan." I hung up before he had the chance to say anything. "Damn it, he's so controlling when it comes to you!"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Obviously. We fought over a girl that just _happened_ to be identical to you."

I sighed. "That's stupid, though. One, I'm not Katherine. Two, you're a good guy and you aren't going to hurt me."

Damon bared his fangs. "I wouldn't be so sure of that..." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"Put the fangs away, Salvatore."

"Fine."

* * *

><p>We pulled up to a small motel a few hours later. "We can stay here for the night if you want," he offered.<p>

I smiled at him. "Alright."

We grabbed our bags out of the back and brought them inside. Damon went up to the counter to get us rooms, and I followed behind him. "I'll pay you back for my room," I reminded him. "I just don't have a credit card."

He rolled his eyes. "You're not paying me back." He turned his attention to the woman at the counter, who appeared to be in her early 30s. "Can I get two single rooms, please?"

The lady ran something in her computer. "Sorry, sir, all we have left is one single room. It has a couch, though..."

I could see Damon put on the charming smile and look her in the eyes... and that usually meant compulsion was coming. "Damon," I said softly. He frowned and turned to look at me. "Just take the room- I don't mind sleeping on a couch." _Plus, I feel safer with someone else in the room with me,_ I added to myself.

He studied me for a second and then sighed and nodded. "We'll take the room." He handed her his credit card and she ran it, handing him it back along with the bill and two room keys. He handed me a room key and grabbed both of our luggage.

"I can take my own bag," I argued, hurrying along behind him.

"I'm trying to be _gentlemanly_. This doesn't happen often- let it go," he suggested, pressing the button for the elevator.

I sighed and stepped back to lean against the wall of the elevator, waiting for it to stop. I_ despise_ elevators. They're loud and fast and I always feel dizzy when I step off them. The elevator came to a stop and I sighed, trying to keep my balance as Damon stepped out ahead of me. I stepped forward only to trip over the threshold. I let out a small cry, shutting my eyes as I prepared to hit the ground.

The impact never came.

I slowly opened my eyes to see Damon's concerned ones looking down at me, his arms wrapped around me. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" I was too busy looking into his eyes to make a coherent response. I didn't think I'd ever seen eyes so blue before. "Oh. Oh, yeah. I'm fine," I said, blinking quickly.

Damon pulled me up, steadying me. "Well, let's go to our room then."

"Yeah... yeah. Let's go."

We headed to the room, and Damon used his key to open it up. He held the door open for me and I smiled and walked inside, still kind of in a trance from his eyes.

Damon looked around. "Not that bad. I'll take the couch," he volunteered, dropping the luggage on the ground. I frowned.

"No. You're paying for the room- so I'm taking the couch. Suck it up."

He smirked. "Fine."

I sighed and went to the bathroom to change into pyjamas and shower. Once I was done, I went back out into the room and got a bed ready on the couch, Damon nowhere to be seen. I flicked the light switch off and went to sleep, deciding he was probably just at the hotel bar or something.

* * *

><p><strong>Damon<strong>

I sighed as I drove back to the hotel- it had taken me a lot longer than I'd expected to try and get blood bags. I didn't want to have any kind of problems with thirst whatsoever while with Elena.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I stopped and listened closely, using my vampire hearing. I heard a scream... and it sounded like Elena. I took off towards the sound, feeling worry rush through my veins.

* * *

><p><strong>Stefan<strong>

I angrily looked around the forest, still angry from the phone call with Elena. What game was Damon playing, for God's sake? Elena was _mine_.

I sighed as I tried to pounce on a rabbit, and wasn't surprised when I couldn't catch it. My focus was elsewhere- which really wasn't good when hunting. I sighed and tried to look around for more prey.

I heard a noise behind me and whirled around... and no one was there. I frowned and tensed immediately, realizing that it was probably a vampire.

I heard another noise behind me and whirled around again, catching the outline of a figure just before it disappeared. I frowned, and then heard a voice behind me.

"Hello, Stefan."

I stiffened at the sound of the voice before turning around to see a smirk that could rival Damon's.

"Katherine."

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><p>There ya go.<br>I hope you don't think it's too soon to introduce Katherine to the story. Damon won't find out she's back in town for a while.  
>Leave a review? ;3<p> 


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